Input Please

[MarvellousMarv]

Hi. I am new to this forum, but am very interested in RealmWorks. I've been a GM for a number of years, and there are number of features that attract my attention, IF they work as advertised.

The problem is that I have a friend who is also a GM...and is no slouch in the computing department...who says that RealmWorks is overly complex and not worth the time to figure out.

I would very much like input.

Is there a trial version available?

[Silveras]

Are there specific features you are interested in? Your friend's conclusion may be perfectly valid for him/her, but others may disagree for their own cases.

You will likely get more useful answers if you can target certain features.

[Dervish]

there is currently no trial version but i have to ask if your friend has a copy of realmworks ask him if you can test drive it if he does not have a coppy well then take his advice with a grain of salt

[Dark Lord Galen]

+1 to Dervish comment.... without having the software how can you evaluate whether it is "too complex or not"??

Don't be a lemming... read the forums here, the reviews, and try finding someone who has it.... or better yet.. its only $50 most spend that on their "power drinks" in a month.

• Is it without problems?
  
  NO, no software on the planet is ....

• Is it easy to use?
  Easier than Adobe Illustrator, AutoCad, etc..... Not as easy as MS Paint, nor the fundamentals of any MS Office Product...

Though, using the MS Office as a comparable most are familiar with, it is simple to learn (though time consuming to MASTER). There are a number of things that MS Office can do, that 90% of its users never use... such is the case for Realm Works....

It is really a question of how much detail you wish to put into it.....
If your a DM (or GM for you youngsters) and you manage most of your detail on the fly or off the cuff, then RW is probably massive overkill.

If you are a DM that wants consistancy, and an ability to compile a great deal of detailed information in one place about your campaign world... then it will be a god send.

As the forums will convey, this is the dawn of a new software philosophy, so it is not without its bumps in the road. HOWEVER, you get at it on the ground floor. where your input to cusomize goes right to the people making it happen....

I'd advise reading or reviewing these
http://www.wolflair.com/realmworks/s...ked-questions/
http://www.wolflair.com/realmworks/s...torial-videos/
Take the plunge... you'll find the water deep, but refreshing.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by MarvellousMarv

The problem is that I have a friend who is also a GM...and is no slouch in the computing department...who says that RealmWorks is overly complex and not worth the time to figure out.

Simply put it is worth the time to figure out. Also whats so great is you don't have to figure out "everything" up front. The intro videos and help documents will get you started using it.

Their is many features of the software I didn't touch or even try to use when I started. As I got more comfortable with the software I started to use more and more features. I have had the software sense beta and only a month ago starting using plot points in example.

Even when not using all the features of the software it was a great plus for me. I am running a more roleplay heavy campaign and having the software auto link NPCs and events together has made it MUCH easier for me to handle. I am not best roleplay DM but the software really helped me keep track of a large number of NPCs and their information.

So don't get overwhelmed and try and use everything on day one. Pick one area to use and learn the rest later. The software is very flexible and will work with you in not needing to use everything.

[AEIOU]

View the tutorial videos. They are a great intro. And then watch them again.

Is it difficult? For me, it felt natural and completely intuitive. It is complex but you can use as much or as little of that complexity as you wish at your own pace. I feel it has a signficant up front time investment for data entry and getting things organized how you think; but, that investment creates a time saving over the long run with much better organization of thoughts, plots, NPC's and campaign ephemera. You get out of it what you put in....

Silveras' question I think is really key though. Are there specific things you are interested in? How do you envision it working for you? What do you consider complex (or too complex)? What game systems are you interested in running with RW?

[Bidmaron]

To expect something with the power of RW to be easy to use is crazy. It's like saying brain surgery is too complex. Few things worthwhile are simple. It IS complex, but so is creating a world, and that is what the software supports.